


Heads and Tails

by JimmyPenguin421



Series: The Adventures of Ahsoka, Mommy Padmé, and Dad Skyguy (The Together Saga) [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Ahsoka Tano Needs a Hug, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Protective Anakin Skywalker, Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26095516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JimmyPenguin421/pseuds/JimmyPenguin421
Summary: One day, Ahsoka comes to Anakin with a question.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano
Series: The Adventures of Ahsoka, Mommy Padmé, and Dad Skyguy (The Together Saga) [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1823500
Comments: 14
Kudos: 174





	Heads and Tails

“What’s it like being human?”

Anakin looked at his Padawan as she flopped down onto the couch next to him.

She looked back with that inquisitive, curious look she did so well.

“Uh…” Anakin said, “I can’t say I know. I mean, I’ve never _not_ been human.”

“I didn’t ask what it was like _not_ being human,” she shot back.

“Right. I guess you would know, wouldn’t you?”

She pointedly lifted a lek and let it drop back onto her shoulder. “Yeah. I guess I would.”

“Okay, well… uh… from what you tell me, seems like I can’t hear as well as you. Or smell or see as well—”

“Not that,” she interrupted.

“What do you mean then, Snips?”

“It’s just… everything seems to be centered around humans. Like the way they classify species.” She gave a short laugh. “Human. _Near-_ human. Human _oid._ _Non-_ human. And pretty much all the Chancellors have been humans. And the clones. Just… humans are everywhere. And then there’s me. I account for, like, half of Coruscant’s Togruta population.”

Anakin sighed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I… I don’t have answers for any of that. I don’t know.”

Then a thought occurred to him.

“Did someone do something to you because you’re a Togruta?” he asked, suddenly sitting up straight. “Because I swear, if…”

“No, no,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “But I know it happens all the time, and I guess…” She looked down. “I guess it just makes me scared. Like I’m just… waiting until something like that happens to me.”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Anakin said, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “But I can’t help thinking about it. I try not to, but…”

“Still scares you.”

He felt her nod.

Anakin sighed. “I get it.”

She looked up at him. “You… do?”

As soon as she said that, Anakin mentally kicked himself.

 _No. Of course not. You_ don’t _know what it’s like, Skywalker. You’re_

_human_

_male_

_white_

_The definition of privileged. Not only is she not human, but she’s also female. She has it way worse than you, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and help her feel better!_

“Well… I can imagine,” he said.

He didn’t need to.

He thought back to his past, when he hadn’t been a Jedi, General Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear. He’d just been Anakin. Just another slave.

White, male, human or not, being a slave was horrible.

Even though Watto had definitely been somewhere in the upper half of the master-niceness scale, it still made Anakin angry every time he thought about how so many people couldn’t own their own lives.

“Master?”

He felt his shoulders tense, memories coming unbidden to the front of his mind.

 _It’s just Ahsoka, just Snips,_ he reminded himself. _She doesn’t know, that’s not how she means it, she would never mean it like that._

She took his lack of response the wrong way, sitting up straight and scrambling away from him. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked quickly, the words spilling out over each other as if her mouth couldn’t keep up with her thoughts. “I—I’m sorry if I did. I didn’t mean to make you mad. I’m sorry.”

“No. No, you didn’t. It’s fine, just… please don’t call me Master.”

She didn’t say anything, but he could sense confusion and inquisitiveness bubbling up in her Force signature.

He sighed. “Remember when we went to Tatooine?”

She looked confused still, but she nodded.

“And how you tried to get me to talk about it?”

After a second, she nodded again.

“Well…” He swallowed. “Let’s just say… there’s a reason I didn’t want to talk about it.”

Best to just get it over with.

He looked down at the floor, ducking his head and turning slightly away from her so she couldn’t see whatever emotions his face was showing. “I was a slave, Ahsoka.”

He waited for her reaction.

Nothing.

She said nothing.

The silence made his ears ring.

Why were his ears ringing?

There was no reason for his ears to be ringing right now.

He hadn’t been exposed to loud noise recently, he wasn’t sick and _what the—_

There was a pair of little arms wrapping around him.

“That’s terrible,” Ahsoka whispered. “I’m sorry. You didn’t have to tell me if you didn’t want to.”

For a moment, Anakin was speechless.

She had come to him for him to reassure her fears, and here _she_ was trying to comfort _him._

She was so sweet and caring.

He was so bad at this.

“No, it’s okay.” He patted her arm. “Really.”

She let go of him and sat back, looking at him intently.

“You _do_ understand,” she said.

“What?”

“How it feels to be treated like you’re less than someone else, just because of something that… that you can’t control, that’s not your fault.”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “I guess I do.” He sighed. “It’s… it’s scary, Ahsoka. I know.”

She nodded.

“But…” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders again, and she scooted closer to him. “I’m here, okay? If you ever want to talk.”

“Thank you, Skyguy,” she said, smiling up at him. “And I’m here too. You know?”

He smiled back. “Yeah, I know. And… Ahsoka?”

She looked up at him.

“Just know, no matter what other people think, no matter what species you are, I’ll always see you as _you._ My favorite little snippy, special Padawan.”

Her smile got even bigger and she nestled closer against his side, curling into a ball.

He chuckled and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Love you, Snips.”

“Love you too,” she murmured. “Like friends. Not in a weird way.”

Anakin gave a soft laugh. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Like friends.”


End file.
